About Time! Utah Hires Its First Black Anchorwoman

It’s hard to believe that in 2013 a Black woman had yet to work as a news anchor in the state of Utah. This is why Nadia Crow’s new job is such a big deal.

According to reports, the 27-year-old Chicago native recently landed her dream job as a newscaster at KTVX-Channel 4. She’s now the first African-American to work a regular news gig at a Salt Lake television station.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Crow told The Salt Lake Tribune. “The only thing I’ve ever really wanted to be is a TV news anchor and reporter.”

“I knew it would be a challenge coming here with the struggles they’ve had, but chaos creates opportunity,” she added. “So I looked at it more as a challenge. And knowing that I would be the first African-American anchor was also a challenge that I wanted to take on.”

She went on to say that she hopes to change the perception of the state.

“”You just don’t think of Black people being in Utah. Whether that’s true or not, that was my image and my perception of the state,” she explained. “There are so many misconceptions outside of Utah of what the LDS faith is. And then when you come here, you realize that those things really aren’t true.”

KTVX news director George Severson said hiring the Syracuse University graduate was a no-brainer.

“I’m so amazed, for someone that young, how advanced her skills are,” he said. “She stands out because she seems so engaged, especially coming to a whole new world.”

Crow admitted that she had a few worries before moving to the predominately White state — for example, finding a new hair dresser!

“I asked George, ‘Is there somewhere I can get my hair done? Am I going to be able to go to the grocery store and see somebody that looks like me? What is going to happen if I come there?’ ” she said. “But coming here has really opened up my eyes. There is diversity here. And there are growing populations that people outside of Utah don’t realize are here.”

Severson responded, “We want to represent everybody. And there are black people living in Utah,” In fact, according to reports, the African-American population in the state grew by 5.2 percent last year.

Check out Nadia Crow’s 4 p.m. newscast on KTVX and her 9 p.m. slot on sister station KUCW.